Bush says military action against Syria "last resort"

[Eugene]

Bush says military action against Syria "last resort"
Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:24 AM ET

DUBAI (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said military action was a
last resort in dealing with Syria and he hoped Damascus would
cooperate with a probe into the killing of former Lebanese premier
Rafik al-Hariri.

"A military (option) is always the last choice of a president," he
told Al Arabiya television in an interview aired on Tuesday when asked
about a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian officials in the
killing of Hariri.

"I am hoping that they will cooperate. It (military action) is the
last -- very last option," he said. "But on the other hand, you know
-- and I've worked hard for diplomacy and will continue to work the
diplomatic angle on this issue."

Reuters obtained a transcript of the Bush interview, conducted in
Washington on Monday, from Dubai-based Al Arabiya.

<snip>

More: http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=uri:2005-10-25T092437Z_01_MOR531158_RTRUKOC_0_US-BUSH-SYRIA.xml

In short, get out of Lebanon, stop supporting Iraqi insurgents,
and expel Palestinian militants, OR ELSE!

[pinniped]

1. Input into the Bizarro World translator and the dorko really means...

first resort.

So, this POS wants to invade an entire country ( Syria ) just because of this report "alleging" Syrian involvement?

Makes sense if you're from Bizarro World.

The POS* is making this sound like the Lebanese official was Archduke Franz Ferdinand or something. Time for the Peace(OS*) presidunce to commence the start of WWIII. We all know how the POS* likes to compare events and leaders of times past.

Poor Georgie, always searching for his own identity.

[cantstandbush]

55. Have we "cooperated" concerning all the assassination here in US

and the ones that happened at our hands? Have we cooperated with Cuba and Venezuela concerning the terrorist who was responsible for downing the cuban plane?

[niceypoo]

102. "Last Resort" = Midterms

They want into Syria because its the doorway to Lebanon.....where the valley of Armageddon is.

[KarenS]

2. oh yeah,,,, this is pretty much "here we go, again" n/t

[Cooley Hurd]

3. Been there, done that...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/iraq_11-20-02.html

November 20, 2002, 3:07pm EST
PRES. BUSH SAYS IRAQ MUST WORK WITH U.N., CALLS WAR LAST RESORT

President Bush on Wednesday said that Iraqi disarmament could be reached peacefully if the "collective will of the world is strong," but warned that Saddam Hussein could face "his final stage" as Iraq's leader if he deceives United Nations weapons inspectors.
</snip>

Deja vu...

[salin]

4. Since you have so weakened the stick

such threats don't sound the same as they did three and a half years ago. Where we wouild get the extra troops and where we would find any allies to support us are well known questions.

[C_U_L8R]

5. And "last resort" means...

as" soon as the indictments come down"

wag
wag
wag

[styersc]

8. One of the reasons that I have not been gleeful about Bush's

decline in the polls. If his internal polling shows that another front on the bogus "Global War on Terror" will give him a 5 point boost in the polls, many more of our friends and neighbors in the millitary will come home in bags.

[MADem]

70. Indeed....

[saigon68]

84. Nice coke up the nose photo

[shanti]

99. it means the 'first resort'.

he's so friggin transparent :eyes:

[TreasonousBastard]

6. If we bomb Syria...

who will we send our prisoners to for torture?

[Tesha]

28. Saudi Arabia. (NT)

[oioioi]

7. Anagrams for "last resort"

loser start

artless rot

terras lost

rorts, steal

arrest lots

ratters SOL

[truthisfreedom]

9. who let this goofball be in charge this time? everybody knows what his

gang did last time... don't let any of them get near our military.

[mmonk]

10. Where have I heard that before? Let's see.........

[LynnTheDem]

11. bush said that re Iraq; then bush kicked the weapons inspectors out

wars of choice aggression is bush's game.

[cassiepriam]

12. Translation: We're going to war with Syrian real soon.

[Marie26]

40. But how could we?

Even if Bush wants to attack Syria (& you know he does), how could he? He's already reached the bottom of the barrel with troops in Iraq & the military is still stretched thin. There's no way he'd start a draft with his current popularity. Where's he going to get the troops to fight a war in Syria? How's he going to get the public to support another war when they don't support this one? Reality is catching up with the neocons & I can't see how they could manage another war.

[Orsino]

44. They may be in a big hurry to find a small war...

...that they can "win" quickly, just in time for the '06 elections.

It worked for Rome, for quite a while.

[MADem]

72. Yeah, but ROME had BREAD and CIRCUSES

I am NOT AMUSED by the circus in the WH, and the gubmint ain't handing out any good Roman bread, either!!!!!!!!!!

[belle]

83. Syria would not be that war. At this point Grenada would not be that war.

we have. no. more. troops to spare. so unless fuckhead wants to finally start that draft, *or* go full-out nuclear war (they've just ruled out further exploration of "bunker busters" for a small grace), he's talking out of his ass. Again.

[newspeak]

85. didn't Syria sign an alliance with Iran?

Now Russia is talking to Syria? Hmmm, this isn't going to be roll over and play dead war game.

[flying_wahini]

52. sure he would start up the draft

don't kid yourself, he will do ANYTHING to promote his agenda.
If his numbers are in the toilet, it won't matter, will it?

[AndyTiedye]

57. How Can He Start up the Draft and Attack Syria? 2 Words

MARTIAL LAW. Because he doesn't give a flying fuck what we think,
and with martial law, he won't have to. :grr:

[Marie26]

62. And how many troops would that take?

To occupy American cities & seize dissidents & halt tons of riots/protests. Bush can't even get control over Iraq - where will he find the incredible military manpower to occupy the US? And then Syria? I don't trust Bush for one second, but it seems like declaring "martial law" would be basically impossible right now, as things are now. Am I missing something? How would he be able to do that?

[grannylib]

90. Using the expansion of the War Powers Act granted to him in the "Patriot"

act. He can do just about whatever the fuck he wants to, including drafts, cancel or postpone elections, whatever...
Congress wrote the little imbecile a blank check on power.

[newspeak]

93. yes congress gave him a blank check

but the American people did not. And, if he attempts to usurp the will of the American people, he will have his Kool-aid drinkers, but there are a hell of a lot of American people; Democrats, Greens, Republicans, Libertarians, etc.., who are not kool-aid drinkers. He can't afford a civil action in the US.

[PurityOfEssence]

65. The Israeli Defense Forces. Scared yet?

We've got one of the finest militaries in the world sitting right there twiddling their thumbs, and you KNOW they'd love to solve their age-old Syria problem.

You're right, the only thing keeping us from attacking is not enough military, but that can be easily arranged. We follow forces that "attack" us on hot pursuit into Syria, an "incident" happens in Israel that's pinned on Assad, and we're off and running.

[Marie26]

69. Sounds about right

That's a pretty good theory (and yes, I am scared). They're talking a lot about these "border skirmishes" with Syria, & it would be really easy to just cross the border following an attack. And I wonder if (tin-foil hat here) the "incident" that allows Israel's participation has already happened. Do we really know that Syria was behind this assasination, or is it a convienient scapegoat?

[cassiepriam]

80. I hear you, but since when did reality have anything to do with it?

Bush never seems to bother himself with these details. He is gonna just make the troops do more with less.

[newspeak]

89. troops from Korea

and if he wants to play Hitler, I will do all in my power to get my daughter out of the military.

[Overseas]

94. Gotta Hurry Up with the Impeachment Proceedings !! eom.

[cassiepriam]

103. Actually it is too late. We are already fighting on the Syrian border?

[0007]

13. junior said the same thing about Iraq! Go figure....n/t

[goodboy]

14. Now where have I heard that before? Hmm...TalibanIraq-istan? (nt)

[Delphinus]

17. Thank you.

You took the thought right out of my head!

[cantstandbush]

15. We won't be able to have boots on the ground here so Israel must be

planning to be involved. Syria is not Iraq. Bush hurbris carrying us into another long-protracted war.

[Jacobin]

16. Bush* is a One Trick Pony

Good grief. Can't he think of anything different to say when he's about to attack a country to get his poll numbers back up?

[kysrsoze]

25. One trick pony and a fucking liar. This infuriates me. Evil. Evil. Evil.

n/t

[Lisa]

79. and his "trick" involves crapping a big huge mess for others to clean up

Not at all helpful or entertaining.

[sofa king]

18. No plans on the President's desk.

No plans on the President's desk, on A4 sized paper, in wingdings font, with purple ink.

[leesa]

19. Remember "We found em on the shelf" when asked why the Afghanistan

massacre was planned so quickly. Of course, we found out a few days later they had threatened to bomb Afghanistan in July ("carpet of gold or a carpet of bombs"), and that the plans had been drafted for the fiasco to start in October.

[BiggJawn]

20. I really don't believe him.

That's the same line of bullshit we got fed on Iraq.

"Ah'm only gonna attack Eye-Rack as a LAST RESORT...(5, 4, 3, 2, 1....) OK! Bombs are falling! Ah WARNED Saddamm!"

[carolinalady]

21. Does he think we can not decode his war cry by now? He said

the same crap before.

[SledDriver]

22. Deja vu all over again? n/t

[UpInArms]

23. we have heard this "last resort" bullshit line before

http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2002/fyi/news/11/20/un.iraq/

November 21, 2002 Posted: 12:36 AM EST (0536 GMT)

Bush seeks support against Iraq at NATO summit

excerpt:

Bush says that war with Iraq is a last resort. But at the NATO summit, his efforts to build a coalition come as a sign of increased military planning. U.S. officials say that as many as 50 countries are being consulted about possible roles in a war with Iraq. Those roles could include peacekeeping missions after a possible war, and in the reconstruction of the Gulf nation.

[Zynx]

24. Uhhh huhhhh....This sounds familiar.

[nolabels]

27. The last resort was the first resort in Iraq also if I recollect

The crook wants to start another war to get his loins off the griddle no doubt.
Might be a day late and a dollar short on this one though :P

[Peace Patriot]

26. The aspens that turn together because their roots are connected are up to

no good.

[donkeyotay]

39. Exactly. We should be afraid

Cheney's fortunes have sure taken a turn for the worse since the aspens changed. I'm not saying we should feel sorry for the evil ratbastard, but we should be concerned. These folks love all things nuclear.

[newspeak]

92. they can't use nuclear

if you use nuclear, you are also condemning Isreal. The land masses of the Middle East are a lot closer than "home on the range" in the west (US). If they did go nuclear, all bets are off on all countries. And I tell you now, I stand for India over Pakistan--this crosses borders and nationalism. Europe, US, and Asia are going to take sides and it's not going to be pretty.

[bunny planet]

29. Hmmmm, those words sound vaguely familiar, have I heard them somewhere

before?

[Demeter]

30. George is Already Reaching for His Last Resort!

Things are going critical over there on the Hill and in the White House....Good!

[mom cat]

31. This is an outrage.Scream to your congress people not to bite!

[ElectroPrincess]

32. Holy Shit! Here we go beating the "war drums" again. :P n/t.

[Gyre]

33. They already used that line in the UN on Iraq. N/T

Effin liars! Hope to see them in hell soon.

[Tight_rope]

34. Wait...I thought his policy was to war first and ask questions later.

:shrug:

The Chimporer is such a "FLIP FLOPPER"!

[MadisonProgressive]

35. Didn't he say the same thing about Iraq?

[Walt Starr]

36. It's like deja vu all over again! n/t

[Marie26]

37. Doesn't it sort of seem like

the US has agreed to take Syria, while the UK takes Iran? Both Bush & Blair are beating war drums, but they seem to be targeting different nations.

[Nihil]

43. Not really

> Doesn't it sort of seem like the US has agreed to take Syria, while
> the UK takes Iran?

Neither of them have a chance of success so there's probably a third
option lurking in the shadows.

[spanone]

38. Hmmmmm....where have I heard that bullshit before?????

Not again georgie, not again.

[JerseygirlCT]

41. We've heard that one before

What do you think? As soon as indictments are announced?

[closeupready]

42. "Last resort" = "next stop"

Scary people

[JawJaw]

45. He's kidding, right?

Somewhat surprised that this hasn't been wiped from WH website yet. It sounds such a joke. And the graphic they used: "denial and deception" - yeah, okay Georgie....




"On the commands of a dictator, the regime is armed with biological and chemical weapons, possesses ballistic missiles, promotes international terror and seeks nuclear weapons."
>
>
>

" I've carefully weighed the human cost of every option before us. If we go into battle, as a last resort, we will confront an enemy capable of irrational miscalculations, capable of terrible deeds. As the Commander-in-Chief, I know the risks to our country. I'm fully responsible to the young men and women in uniform who may face these risks."

[reprobate]

46. Bush: MIlitary last resort. Lieing FIRST resort.

[populistdriven]

47. Bush: Military action against Syria 'last option'

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9767373/

MSNBC

President hopes Syria cooperates with probe of killing of Lebanon ex-PM

DUBAI - President Bush said military action was a last resort in dealing with Syria and he hoped Damascus would cooperate with a probe into the killing of former Lebanese premier Rafik al-Hariri.

"A military (option) is always the last choice of a president," he told Al Arabiya television in an interview aired on Tuesday when asked about a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian officials in the killing of Hariri.

"I am hoping that they will cooperate. It (military action) is the last -- very last option," he said. "But on the other hand, you know -- and I've worked hard for diplomacy and will continue to work the diplomatic angle on this issue." ~snip~
===============================

Gee, have we heard this before?
Military Action Last Option Against Iraq, Bush Says
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2003
http://www.defense.gov/news/Feb2003/n02202003_200302204.html

[Deep13]

48. Next week, then?

I predict military action will occur the day after Fitzmas.

[krkaufman]

49. So Bush is threatening military action against Syria...

... because Syria may have illegally intervened in the affairs of another country?

Hollywood couldn't have written it.

[HereSince1628]

50. I expect his list of options is about as short as it was for Iraq.

[LosinIt]

51. You know that wag-the-dog full-tilt-bozo drunk-ass-crazy-mofo will do it

When cornered he is dangerous. Like a rabid skunk. He'll down a fifth of Beam and it'll be Shock and Awe all over again. "Send 'em in, Rummy! My number are down. My Karl is gone! Unka Dick is gone! Pickles, honey please don't be mad...I promise I'll stop drinking tomorrow, really!"

[Marie26]

82. As a general rule,

a stammering Bush is a lying Bush. "It (military action) is the last -- very last option," he said. "But on the other hand, you know -- and I've worked hard for diplomacy and will continue to work the diplomatic angle on this issue." He said "last", then stopped to revise the sentence. He starts with "on the other hand-" but then ends with saying the same thing. This tells me that he's thinking something else that he realizes he probably shouldn't say out loud.

[oregonindy]

53. I think if he invades syria we need to invade the white house

[flying_wahini]

54. as long as all the US exports is arms and weapons - and

the Carlyle group is in control, we Will have war.

[superconnected]

56. I knew all along he would invade Syria.

The economy will get worse for it. Normally the economy gets better during war but with bush only giving war funds to a few of his friends and them taking billions for nothing(ie haliburton) you can expect it to get worse again. Jobs won't be created to fight this war, if they are they will be given to ppl over seas, and the economy will tank even further. What ever social programs left will be gone - you know the ones like social security and medicade.

[newspeak]

95. that's because the game plan is bigger than people think

you cannot have a new world order without bringing down the US. The "powers that be" moneyed entities cannot rule the world without bringing down the democratic republic of the United States of America. I figure what they have planned for us is another third world banana republic that can be easily manipulated, and the next resources to be totally ravaged will be ours. the multi-national corporations hold no allegiance to any country, only to profit and power. I always laugh when I watch "Independence Day" because the aliens are already here, we don't need no enemy from outer space.

[allemand]

58. Syria and WMDs (here we go again)

Iran aids Syria's CW programme

With the release of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission interim report on 20 October into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri increasing international pressure on Syria, a diplomatic source has said that Damascus is nevertheless pursuing what they describe as "an innovative chemical warfare programme in co-operation with Iran".

The essence of this co-operation, the source told JDW, "is Tehran's contractual commitment, made to Syria a few months ago, to provide Iranian CW technical assistance to facilitate Syria's CW programme". (...)

"This project is unprecedented and millions of US dollars have been allocated to implement it," the source said.

"The project includes building major facilities, including advanced equipment to produce tens to hundreds of tonnes of CW precursors per year that are sufficient for CW industrial manufacturing pilot production."

http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_10448.shtml

http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw051024_3_n.shtml

Could it be that the "diplomatic source" was a former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security...?

[noahmijo]

59. I defended Democrat's votes on the IWR for a long time now

citing that the IWR had provisions all of which * broke and that the only crime of Kerry and others was trusting Cokejaw not to fuck things up and make good on what the IWR actually said.



At THIS point though I will not defend ANY Democrats who vote in favor of a similar or identical document for anymore wars. It is truly now that they should know better than to trust this piece of shit.

Yea yea they should've known better the first time, but that time was different after 9/11 and not just * saying that Iraq was a potential threat but the intelligence community was saying so as well and as I said the IWR was NOT written as a liscence to go and murder, but ANY document at this point which gives * authority to go to war regardless of what provisions are written better not be voted for by any Democrat that wants my vote.

[MarsThe Cat]

60. So- he's apparently already set the invasion date...

here we go...!!!

[Roland99]

61. "Bro-ken.,..rec-ord... ....Bro-ken...rec-ord"

[Norwood]

63. Last resort huh..Kinda like Iraq right?

So when we gonna invade? Anyone have any predictions?

[peterh]

64. What kind of coalition of the bribed will he get this time…

I think the poodle will be there (in some sort of fashion) and we all know Israel can’t raise their hand (at least publicly)….which leaves….

Iraq and Afghanistan…..and we can call them the “colonized coalition”

[sakabatou]

66. *cough*Bullshit*cough*

[NVMojo]

67. Yeah, sure, like I believe anything coming out of this asshat's mouth

[WhiteTara]

68. he is certifiable! Get him some strong

drugs and knock the *er out. cold. for the next 3 years. Hurry Fitz Hurry!

[fshrink]

71. Just working on a bigger-better manipulation.

Syria has been rather hard to provoke so far though... It's really funny, actually, as every single word that comes out of his snout is an authentic lie.

[Mr_Spock]

73. "Last resort" - I guess we are DEFINITLEY attacking Syria and SOON

What a fucking piece of shit wag-the-dog ass hole we have in the White House. Can we recall him?

[wordpix]

74. Without a draft, BushCo

does not have enough military personnel left for another war. I suppose he could drop some more "Shock and Awe," but there won't be enough boots on the ground to go in "successfully" anywhere.

Chimpee will not institute a draft that would send Barbara and Jenna to the Mideast, ditto his corporate friends' children. Remember, he is Chickenhawk-in-Chief.

The thugs in the Mideast are no doubt laughing their asses off at this incompetent head of the U.S. cabal and thanking their lucky stars that Amerika is being led like sheep to slaughter.

[newspeak]

96. but remember during the election

he made that slip "we will not have an all voluntary army" and people started whispering to him-uh "we will have a voluntary army." Tell me was that a subconscious slip. Just like he was talking to employees of the Department of Labor and stated that "we will surely fail." It's when he slips, you need to listen because that's when he's telling the truth. Bet on it!!!!

[Ksec]

75. So afghanistan is becoming worse, Iraq is a quagmire

the hurricanes are adding billions to the negative line, recruitment is alarmingly low, and the chimp wants to add another war...

Someone better slap this SOB real hard before he ruins us beyond repair.

[allemand]

76. Bush links al-Qaeda to Syria and Iran in today's speech

The influence of Islamic radicalism is also magnified by helpers and enablers. They've been sheltered by authoritarian regimes -- allies of convenience like Syria and Iran -- that share the goal of hurting America and modern Muslim governments, and use terrorist propaganda to blame their own failures on the West, on America, and on the Jews. (...)

Third, we're determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a long history of collaboration with terrorists, and they deserve no patience from the victims of terror. The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them -- because they are equally guilty of murder. (Applause.) Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has chosen to be an enemy of civilization, and the civilized world must hold those regimes to account.

This week, the United Nations Security Council will hear a new report from an independent commission that points to Syrian involvement in the terrorist bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, and 22 others last February. Syria is destabilizing Lebanon, permitting terrorists to use its territory to reach Iraq, and giving safe harbor to Palestinian terrorist groups. The United Nations has passed strong resolutions against terror. Now the United Nations must act -- and Syria and its leaders must be held accountable for their continuing support for terrorism, including any involvement in the murder of Prime Minister Hariri. (Applause.)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/10/20051025.html

Syria has a secular government and Iran is ruled by Shia mullahs. Both aren't natural allies of al-Qaeda, to say the least.

[Solly Mack]

77. Now where have I heard that before?

ho hum

[IndianaGreen]

78. Bush said the same thing about Iraq

Bush lied then, Bush is lying now.

[Megahurtz]

81. Oh No! Not Again!

:scared::nuke:

[Rex]

86. Last resort mean you are on record as admitting to

all options being on the table. That means you will fucken do what ya like to keep out of a courtroom. Boosh ALWAYS keep all options on the table, so that he can invade but come out and say he was on record.

Blameless.

[newspeak]

87. let's face it

all of the Middle East has seen how this administration dealt with Saddam. He allowed the weapons inspectors in thinking that if he complied, US wouldn't attack. Bush, after knowing that Saddam, was defenseless, he attacked. Iran definitely is not going to allow themselves to be defenseless, and if Syria goes, Iran knows, they're next.

[grannylib]

88. Which means we'll be invading any minute now...he said that about Iraq

too.
It's all part of the PNAC "total war" plan...nothing new.

It's all in that 'but on the other hand...'
He's a war pResident, see??
Fuckin' loony toon chickenhawk death-lovin' liar.

[antonialee839]

91. And we all know what Monkey means by last resort.

Expect a small diversion (war with Syria) to take the edge off Fitzmas.

[newspeak]

97. his friends and family feed off of chaos and death

Seymour Hersch, I believe, said that. And, Scott Ritter, a republican, stated that neocons are like parasites feeding off of the host. We are screwed. All Bin Laden (if he even is still alive) has to do is sit back and wait while the US is destroyed from within. Al Quaida numbers grow with every family destroyed and every war initiated. And because of the "black gold" in the Middle East, Russia and China are not going to sit back idly while this administration gets their war "hard on." If Iran has made an alliance with Syria and an alliance with China, watch the fireworks, because China is not going to stand by and watch the US steal energy from the ME without becoming involved. Our children, as well as, ourselves, are pawns in a great big power play being played by a bunch of power hungry sociopathic baffoons. I believe Jimmy Carter knew it and tried to distance us from the ME and become energy efficient, but the ones playing the game including Saudi Arabia are willing to bring down countries for their power grabbing game.

[ellisonz]

98. Commander Cuckoobananas is going to start World War III.

These are the types of fools who think foreign policy is about tank divisions and expensive bombers. I hope Condi just might have got enough sense instilled in her by Colin Powell to hold Commander Cuckoobananas hand honestly in times of crisis.

To speculate on what would potentially happen to set this thing off. Commander Cuckoobananas and Co. would chant in unison on all GOP propaganda organs and smirk at the world. They would argue that Syria is ignoring if not assisting the Iraq insurgency. Syria also has chemical stockpiles and has used them (See Hama Massacre). Commander Cuckoobananas would order the military to attack and it would be bloody on all sides. Who wants to bet the Israelis and Lebenese don't become involved? It'll be World War III.

:cry:

[superconnected]

100. condi won't stop her husband, she's an enabler.

Everything they say is a lie, so she's been over there checking out the place, planning the war, making the defense contracts etc.

[Behind the Aegis]

101. Sounds familiar!

It is the "last resort." That means they have to line up troops (done), try to get international support (UN...but fuck them. done!), secure the "base," (done....TERROR...Syria is attacking our troops), and finally, get a scapegoat to blame (DONE and DONE! It will be all Israel's fault! Securing the leftists attacks on the administration and further splitting our party and our country!)!!!

They have it all planned out....the right...the terrorists are responsible! The left....the Israelis are responsible. Everyone is responsible EXCEPT for the BUSH ADMINISTRATION!

Mission Accomplished!